Top Five March Madness Traditions

Any sports fan will tell you that the NCAA basketball tournament in March is one of the best times of the year to be a sports fan. The long college hoops season comes to a climax in March in this single elimination tournament. Many believe that March Madness is the single best tournament in all of sports. As we come toward this year's exciting version of March Madness I decided to take a look at the top five traditions of March Madness. What exactly are the things that get people loving March Madness so much?

Top Five March Madness Traditions

1. Brackets, Brackets, Brackets- There is no way anything else lands at number one. The bracket challenges and office pools for March Madness are an absolute blast, and even those who aren't sports fans are typically interested by them. How do the brackets help the overall tournament? They help make each and every person who filled out a bracket of any kind have a team to root for in every game. Go around any office or college dorm room in late March and you're likely to hear quite a bit of chatter surrounding March Madness and the bracket contests.

2. The first Thursday afternoon games- It's a tradition that is unique and yet so loved. On the first Thursday of March Madness at around 12:20 eastern time the first games tip off. Around the country offices turn televisions on and even school cafeteria's flip on the madness from time to time. The first Thursday of the tournament is also noted for many employees or students having a "sick day." I certainly don't recommend that, but it shows the level of anticipation that comes with this day.

3. One Shining Moment- This is a terrific song written by David Barrett about the NCAA Basketball Tournament. It is an inspirational song that is played as the winning team's players cut the nets down after the final game of the tournament. CBS often shows a montage of the best moments from the tournament while playing this song.

4. Selection Sunday- On selection Sunday there are so many bubble teams that are on the edge of their seats wondering if they will make it into the tournament or not. Every single year there are those who are heartbroken and there are those who are ecstatic. The suspense of the unveiling of the brackets is a great tradition.

5. Final Four- Final Four Saturday evening is a great night of college basketball. When the teams get down to just four CBS shows the games back to back on a Saturday evening in prime time. Around the country the Final Four is one of the most watched shows of the year because of its importance and popularity.